Hannibal Week Exclusive Bryan Fuller Interview

With the release of Hannibal on Blu-Ray and DVD this week from Lionsgate Home Entertainment Pop Culture Maven is celebrating with an all Hannibal week on the site. Yesterday I reviewed the Blu-Ray edition for season 1. Today we have a very special and exclusive interview with Producer, Writer and Creator of the hit television show Bryan Fuller. Bryan has in a very short time created some of the televisions most visual and innovative shows like Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Amazing Screw On Head, Pushing Daisies, Mockingbird Lane and the current Hannibal. Bryan and the amazing cast and crew are currently working on season 2 in Toronto. Not only is Bryan one of the most talented creators working in television today but he is also one of the nicest people that you could every meet. He also reaches out to his fans and keeps them informed about the show and the legion of Fannibal’s are very loyal and help spread the word about this great show.Bryan has graciously taken time out of his very busy schedule to answer some questions about the show and a few secrets about the second season that will premier in the spring on NBC.

Steven Howearth:

What does a show runner actually do? (and you are not allowed to answer everything)

Bryan Fuller: Not everything, but quite a bit. The Showrunner is the Team Leader and the central vision of the series, the decider and distiller of the creative department’s contribution. We work closely with Production Designers, Costume Designers, Visual Effects Artist, Composers, Directors, Actors, Editors and Sound Mixers to shape and achieve the final product.

Steven:

Hannibal is shot digitally and you have shot your previous shows on film. Why digital and not film, and what do you do to make it look more like film and less of a shiny digital look?

Bryan: Honestly, I would love to still be shooting on film, but nowadays most studios simply won’t allow it. There is a fallacy that film is prohibitively expensive, but the reality is that considerable monies are devoted to processing the digital image with wonder machines like the DaVinci or the Luster that allow you to fine tune the aesthetic and more closely approximate the look of film.

Steven:

On the Blu-Ray there are five episodes that are Producer cuts (Coquilles, Entree, Fromage, Buffet Froid, and Releves) what are the major differences between the cuts?

Bryan:

Blood and penetration, mainly. NBC was incredibly lenient for what we were allowed to show on broadcast television, but they do have their limits. There are mere seconds of additional footage that Standards & Practices simply wouldn’t allow us to air. For instance, in FROMAGE, when Will Graham de-criminalizes the Cello Man, there was a shot of the neck of the instrument sliding into the victim’s mouth and then down the throat. We were allowed to broadcast the mouth part, but not the throat part. So each of these episodes have just a pinch more gore that what you may have seen in the original airing.

Steven:

One of the things that impresses me about all of your shows is the amazing cast that you assemble for them. How did you get the cast for Hannibal and any wish list of guest actors for the future?

Bryan:

There was a wonderful domino effect in casting HANNIBAL. One actor begat the next. Hugh Dancy was the first actor cast and that made the project all that more appetizing for Mads Mikkelsen, who knew Hugh and worked with him in the past and rightfully adored him. Mads Mikkelsen begat Laurence Fishburne, who begat Gillian Anderson, and so on. It is the calibre of that central trio of very fine gentlemen thespians that continues to attract amazing actors to the show. And I suppose the script didn’t suck, which helps. I’m desperate to work with David Bowie, who I’ve admired as an actor since THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. We will be pursuing him for a role later in the second season. I adore David Tennant as a human being and an actor so working with him has long since been a goal. And of course, there are many actors that I’ve worked with previously that I’d love to see on the show: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristen Chenoweth, Chi McBride, Mandy Patinkin, Cynthia Stevenson, Diana Scarwid and the list goes on.

Steven:

Have you talked to Thomas Harris about the series? Has he had any input?

Bryan:

I have not! Martha DeLaurentiis has a great relationship with him and has said that he mentioned liking the series and occasionally finds Mads hard to understand! But that’s the extent of what I’ve heard. I’m a long time fan of his writing and would love to meet him one day, but as of yet, we are relative strangers. I’ve suggested to Martha that he be as involved as he’d like in the show, but from what I understand, he’s comfortable being a member of the audience so I will respect that and not stalk.

Steven:

In episode seven “Sorbet” the bathroom that the first victim is found in is a great homage to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining bathroom set are there any other hidden tips of the hat in any of the other episodes that we may have not noticed?

Bryan:

And the Gold Room bathroom was featured in APERITIF! There are many images from the series that are homages to horror films that I’ve loved. The mushroom garden was inspired by Farmer Vincent’s people garden in MOTEL HELL and the shot of poor Emily Nichols dead in her bed was inspired by Annie under Judith Meyer’s tombstone from HALLOWEEN. Our ghost girl from BUFFET FROID was a poem to all the girls of Asian horror that have become iconic since the late 90s. More to come!

Steven:

With Halloween coming up and being a fan of the horror genre what are some of your favorite horror films or television shows?

Bryan:

X-FILES, THE TWILIGHT ZONE and NIGHTSTALKER are classic horror TV series that were very influential growing up. And their modern day spawn of THE WALKING DEAD and AMERICAN HORROR STORY continue to thrill and delight me with each subsequent season. I have many, many favorite horror films from ALIEN to AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON to BLACK CHRISTMAS to CARRIE to THE SHINING to ROSEMARY’S BABY to POLTERGEIST to HALLOWEEN to FRIDAY THE 13th to THE HOWLING. It is truly my favorite genre.

Steven:

After re-watching the first season on Blu-Ray one of the things that really blew me away was the sound design. You just don’t get to hear that great enveloping mix in the broadcast. Was the mix different from broadcast to the Blu-Ray or are we just hearing the way it was mixed originally.

Bryan:

I am so thrilled that you noticed the sound design on this show. That was our mix for the series but broadcast television tends to compress all of the sound channels so you don’t hear the full spectrum. Brian Reitzell’s psychological score provides such tone and mood and movement, I’m very excited for audiences to experience in its purest form.

Steven:

How many episodes are in season two and what and whom can we expect to see?

Bryan:

There will be 13 episodes in Season 2, as well. Each of the seasons will be 13 episodes. Cynthia Nixon has joined the cast in a pivotal role as a representative of the FBI Office of the Inspector General. And look out for Martin Donovan is wonderful as the FBI sanctioned psychiatrist assigned to give Jack Crawford a psychological evaluation after the events of the first season.

Steven:

I can’t let this interview go without praising your last series Pushing Daisies that ended far too soon. First are you still surprised at the continued love that the series still has? And secondly I know that you have spoken about something possibly in the works in other mediums. Is there still hope for the Pie Maker and company? (Kickstarter hint, hint)

Bryan:

I sincerely hope that I haven’t finished with the Pie Maker. I adore the PUSHING DAISIES cast and would leap at the opportunity continue telling that story. Barry Sonnenfeld and I are both keen to travel back to Coueur d’Coueurs with Digby and the rest of the gang, but Kickstarter may not be a viable option for us for all sorts of reasons. But that’s not to say other forms of crowd-funding won’t play a part in bringing PUSHING DAISIES back to life. Time will tell.

Steven:

Thank You Bryan for giving my readers so great insight into Hannibal and I can say for all of us Fannibal’s that we are looking forward to the second season.